THE big screen version of hit spy series Spooks is to be filmed in Birmingham.

Camera crews working on Spooks: The Greater Good will hit city locations between May 4 and 6.

Colmore Row is to be used for a car chase and stunt scene, while Broad Street will host interior shots.

The thrilling action sequence which opens the film is being shot in Coventry.

Filmmakers see Birmingham as an ideal substitute for the capital because of the architecture.

The movie will see Peter Firth again cast as MI5 chief Sir Harry Pearce.

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington, who grew up in Worcestershire, will play Pearce’s protégé.

It is being directed by Bharat Nalluri, who took the reins for the TV series and has also worked on Hustle and Life on Mars. The spy flick has been boosted by funds from Creative England’s West Midlands Production Fund, which provides support for film projects which boost the region.

Richard Holmes, Senior Film Executive at Creative England, said: “Investment in local production activity and bringing large-scale films to the region not only supports local talent and enriches the industry, but also generates jobs and brings money into the region.

“This is what the West Midlands Production Fund is all about – and watching Coventry and Birmingham host two full-on action set-pieces will show just what the region can deliver.”

In 2012, the WMPF invested in the award-winning documentary One Mile Away, which focussed on gang crime in inner-city Birmingham.

It also supported the Nativity films and acclaimed BBC dramas Toast and Line of Duty.